To rebuild, or not to rebuild? Debate heats up over future of destroyed dams

"

A debate is heating up over the future of two dams that were destroyed by a storm in August. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine is planning on rebuilding the dam at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown. Stump Pond, which drained when the dam failed, would be restored. But Enrico Nardone, with the Seatuck Environmental Association, says officials should reconsider rebuilding the dam. Nardone says the area would be more storm resilient in its natural state. He says native plants would regrow. The Stony Brook Mill Pond also drained during the storm after its dam collapsed. Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright says the pond and the dam should be restored, because the pond served as a focal point for the Stony Brook community. "